Conan, I'm an actor

"I was just curious why you, as a member of the organization, cared so much about that child. But I haven't found any evidence that he's Shinichi Kudo yet. Turning an adult into a child just feels a bit surreal," Amuro Tooru sighed. "So, senpai, could you please tell me your purpose?"

"My purpose?" Shinjo was taken aback.

“Vermouth told me about your purpose in coming to Japan. The Cognac identity was a bargaining chip; she didn’t instruct you to do anything,” Amuro Tooru said. “So what are you stirring up trouble in Japan for?”

"I didn't expect her to tell you even this. Aren't you curious about the price Vermouth paid?" Shinjo looked at Amuro Tooru with a smile. "How about we go and find out?"

"Don't change the subject."

"You figured it out, huh? Honestly, why are these young people so impatient these days?" Shinjo grabbed his hat. "Manager, check please!"

Amuro Tooru looked at the store manager walking over and sighed helplessly. If it were anyone else or in any other situation, he might have already started interrogating him.

Chapter 72 The Medicine Enclosed with the Letter

Dr. Agasa's house

"Professor Agasa, is my new equipment ready?" The first thing Conan did upon entering the room was to ask about his new equipment.

The package he just received put him under a lot of pressure. This trip to the Twilight Villa might be very dangerous, so he needed to prepare his things before going, at least some equipment to protect himself.

"Oh, it's Shinichi. All the equipment is ready, it's in the storage room, the soccer belt and shoes you wanted." Professor Agasa said with a smile, "I heard you're going on a trip soon, have a nice trip."

At this moment, Professor Agasa was in a good mood, mainly because he had made a fortune in the past two months. He had earned several million US dollars from Shinjo alone, which was enough for him to develop new inventions.

"Doctor, do you have anything like a robotic arm here? I need to open a package." Conan gestured with his hand, indicating the shape of a robotic arm.

"Yes, there is, but why do we need a robotic arm to open packages? Can't we just use a knife?" Professor Agasa asked, somewhat puzzled.

“This sender is a bit unusual. He calls himself the Dark Baron, the character my father wrote about, and the address is 211B Baker Street, Sherlock Holmes’s residence.” Conan sighed. “I suspect this package was sent by someone from the Black Organization. I’m afraid there’s something bad inside.”

"Like bombs?" Professor Agasa's face turned green. "Shinichi, you know it's such a dangerous thing, and you still brought it to my house?"

“I’ve already weighed it; it can’t be a bomb. There are no wires or countdown devices inside.”

“Then just dismantle it, what’s there to be afraid of?” As Professor Agasa spoke, he handed a small knife to Conan. “Shinichi, those guys look very dangerous. Why don’t you stop investigating and just leave this to the police?”

“Uncle Shinjo said that there are undercover agents from those guys in the Metropolitan Police Department, so the police are actually the most unsafe right now.” Conan carefully opened the package with a knife. “I’d rather fight alone than be betrayed by my teammates.”

“I’m not talking about the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. I know how incompetent they are.” Dr. Agasa coughed. “I’m talking about the Interpol agents Yusaku knows. They’re all elites. Wouldn’t it be more convenient to have them investigate this Black Organization?”

Conan paused for a moment as he opened the package. He had to admit, Professor Agasa's offer was very tempting.

In the past, he would have definitely rejected Professor Agasa's suggestion. After all, he was a proud and arrogant detective, and relying on his parents would be too hurtful to his pride.

However, after getting to know the uncle named Shinjo and learning some information about the organization, he felt that relying on his parents wasn't something to be ashamed of.

No matter what, losing face is better than losing his life. And if the organization really finds out his identity, it will threaten more than just Conan Edogawa's life. Professor Agasa, Ran, Kogoro, and other people close to him might all be on the organization's revenge list.

Just then, a purple letter was pulled out. Conan immediately recognized its flamboyant appearance as an invitation to the Twilight Villa. The invitation was addressed to Shinichi Kudo.

His heart sank to the bottom. The other party had already found out his identity and confirmed that Edogawa Conan was Kudo Shinichi. This was forcing him to go to that Twilight Villa.

"Even if you hadn't said anything, I would have gone. But my current physical condition really doesn't allow me to participate as Shinichi Kudo," Conan said with a hint of helplessness.

He finally decided to open the letter to see what Moriarty had said, but as soon as he opened the envelope, a plastic box fell to the ground, inside which lay four capsules.

The moment Conan saw the capsule, his face turned deathly pale. He had seen this drug in Gin's hands before. At that time, Gin said it was a new poison developed by the organization that could kill people without leaving any trace.

What does the four pills mean? Does it mean they've locked onto him, Kogoro, Ran, and Professor Agasa? Is this a premonition of their crimes?

His hand trembled slightly as he opened the letter, but when he saw the words on it, his expression instantly became extremely strange.

"To Shinichi Kudo, the chessboard is ready, and the pieces are being put into play one by one. As the last piece to appear, will you be the ace for the red side? The box contains medicine related to APTX4869, the kind you took. Can you guess whether it's an antidote or poison?"

"Shinichi, what's wrong with you?" Professor Agasa asked with concern, looking at Conan's rapidly changing expression.

"It's nothing. I think I've found allies." Conan looked at the capsule in the plastic box with a hint of excitement in his eyes.

If the Black Organization wanted to take action, they wouldn't need to go to such lengths; they have plenty of ways to kill themselves.

Furthermore, killing oneself only requires one poison pill, and there are four here, so they can't all be poison. Of course, this is just his reasoning, and it cannot completely rule out the possibility that all four pills are poison.

That Moriarty is truly a person with a twisted sense of humor. With only one day left before the Twilight Villa gathering, he's not even given a chance to verify whether it's poison or antidote. Is he testing his courage?

With that in mind, he immediately dialed Xincheng's number to find out if any members of the organization or research institutions had developed an antidote for the poison.

"This is the Koshimizu Detective Agency. Who is this?" The call was answered shortly afterward, but it was Koshimizu on the other end, not Shinjo.

"Sister Koshimizu, I want to ask if Brother Shinjo is here?" Conan could only speak in a childish tone, and his excited expression instantly collapsed.

"Shinjo, he went to the gas station. We're going on a long trip this afternoon, so he went to fill up his tank," Koshimizu Nanatsuki said with a smile. "Someone invited me to a party."

It was the same afternoon, the same gathering, and Conan's eyes suddenly sharpened.

"Hey, is this party only for detectives?"

"No, the invitation says that family members or assistants can be brought." Yue Shui asked with some doubt. "Conan, you should be going too, right? The letter says that the top detectives in Japan have been invited, and Uncle Kogoro is definitely on the list. Although he became famous late, the legend of [Sleeping Kogoro] is now circulating throughout the Kanto region, and even the Kansai region knows his name."

"I have some things to take care of, so I won't be going," Conan said, scratching his head. "By the way, could you ask Uncle Shinjo to call me when he gets back? I have some questions for him."

"Why don't you just ask me directly? I know almost everything he knows." Yue Shui, on the other end of the phone, had the phone cord wrapped around her fingers several times.

"No need, this is a secret between the two of us." Conan hung up the phone somewhat awkwardly.

Chapter 73 Kudo-san's serialization

After hanging up the phone, Conan sighed helplessly. This Mr. Shinjo was just like him; he had too many secrets, which wasn't always a good thing.

After hanging up with the Koshimizu Detective Agency, Conan immediately called the Mouri Detective Agency to tell Ran that he had found some interesting things at Professor Agasa's place and would not be going to the annex.

"Seriously, Conan! He's exactly like Shinichi." Ran hung up the phone with a dark expression.

"What's wrong with that brat?" Kogoro Mori asked, fastening his tie.

"He said he found some fun things at Professor Agasa's house and decided not to go to the Twilight Villa."

"If you don't want to go, then don't go. This isn't a vacation. It'll be easier for us to move around if there's one less brat." As he spoke, Mori made two more calls to the Metropolitan Police Department to make sure everything was arranged with Inspector Megure before heading out.

At Professor Agasa's house

Conan stared at the pills in front of him, his Adam's apple bobbing. Although he knew the chances of the pills being poison were slim, he still didn't dare to eat them directly.

"Shinichi, if you're afraid to eat it, then don't. Let me get a few friends to test it and make sure it's not poison before you eat it, okay?" Professor Agasa rarely offered such a reasonable suggestion. "It's not a big deal to admit defeat this time. Holmes has lost to Moriarty quite a few times, so it's not shameful for you to lose to that guy..."

It's unclear what Professor Agasa's words provoked Conan, but he grabbed a capsule from the table, shoved it into his mouth, and then painfully forced down a glass of water.

"Hey... Shinichi, are you alright?" Professor Agasa was startled to see Conan sweating profusely.

A moment later, Conan's shirt burst open, and right in front of Professor Agasa, elementary school student Conan transformed into high school student Shinichi Kudo.

Looking at his body that had returned to normal, Conan was a little confused. He had prepared himself for pain, but he didn't expect that this medicine would not have the side effect of pain in his entire body.

Because his clothes had been torn open, he had several marks on his body.

"What are you doing..." Professor Agasa looked at the naked Shinichi in front of him and immediately grabbed a jacket from beside him and put it on him.

"It should have turned back, but it's probably only temporary," Shinichi said with a hint of helplessness. "That guy sent me four pills, which means the pills have an expiration date."

"Then if you take the medicine now, wouldn't that mean..."

"Doctor, could you please give me some clothes? I need to find a taxi." Shinichi sat down in the chair. The pain was gone, but the weakness made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"You're going to the appointment?" Professor Agasa said, looking at Kudo, whose face was as white as a sheet. "I won't allow you to do this! The side effects of the drug are still unclear. You should be going to the hospital for a checkup, not participating in some detective competition. Besides, this operation sounds very dangerous. If something happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to your parents?"

"He has the antidote; I must go find him."

“We still have the antidote, right? Give me the remaining three pills, and I'll go find my friends and see if they can make a generic version.” Dr. Agasa looked at the determined Kudo with a hint of helplessness. “Don’t underestimate my connections!”

"Ran is still waiting for me, I have to go," Kudo said earnestly. "And I need to draw the attention of those men in black and tell them that Shinichi Kudo is still alive. That way, they won't keep staring at Conan Edogawa. This detective tournament is the perfect stage to announce that I, Shinichi Kudo, am back."

"Fine, I can't do anything with you. I'll take you there." Looking at Shinichi Kudo's confident demeanor, Professor Agasa didn't know how to retort. He could only say, "Call me if there are any problems. I'll be waiting for you outside. Also, it's best to keep one of those pills for making a copy."

"I know, I know," Shinichi Kudo said impatiently. "I'm not a child. You don't need to keep emphasizing this."

Looking at the familiar face in front of him, Professor Agasa sighed, "I think you're cuter as a child."

-----------------

"Is this the Twilight?" Kaito looked at the villa in front of him. "This place feels really eerie. It feels like some kind of vengeful ghost or monster might jump out of here at any moment. Renting it to film a horror movie would be a good choice."

"What a coincidence, to run into Kaito here." Just then, Hakuba Saguru got out of the taxi, and an eagle landed from the sky, landing steadily on his left hand, which was covered by a wrist guard.

"An eagle?" Kaito was startled by the dark shadow falling from the sky. "Why did you bring an eagle with you?"

"I'm sorry to scare you. Its name is Watson, and it's my partner," Hakuba Saguru said, soothing his hawk. "It's probably because it often acted with me in England that it's unusually sensitive to blood. But Kuroba isn't much different in that regard."

"What? This is nonsensical." Kaito Kuroba scratched his head.

"Didn't Kuroba-kun also notice? The spirits of those who died in this villa." Hakuba Saguru said as he walked into the villa. "I never thought I would be able to come to the scene of a tragedy that I could only hear about in rumors before. This means that the truth about the tragedy forty years ago will soon be revealed. Just thinking about this is enough to get my brain cells working."

"What? That's ridiculous." Kaito Kuroba looked at the old man Terai who had brought him here.

Before each operation, the information about the location was always collected by old man Terai, and this time was no exception. However, this time, Terai Kinosuke did not provide him with any information about the annex.

Terai Kinosuke took out a document bag and handed it to him. "Young master, this is the information I have gathered. There is very little information about this villa, as if it has been deliberately erased. This is all the information I have gathered, and it is not of much value."

"He's probably talking about something that happened forty years ago. This case was shelved for some reason back then." A young man pushing a motorcycle walked up from behind. "I'm also very curious about this case."

"Why did you push the cart up here?" Kaito asked, somewhat puzzled.

The young man's already dark face darkened even more. Pointing to the front tire of his motorcycle, he said, "I got a flat tire. I didn't expect the roads here to be so bad. I'm exhausted."

Hakuba Saguru, who was walking ahead, turned around and looked at the dark-faced boy, saying, "Not many people know about that case from over forty years ago, and even fewer know that it was suppressed. Even if an ordinary person wanted to investigate this villa, they wouldn't find anything, just like this Kuroba-kun's butler."

"My name is Hattori Heiji, and I'm a high school detective," Hattori said with a hint of pride. "So I have a good relationship with some police officers, and I asked them to investigate this annex, and that's when I discovered something amiss."

"If I'm not mistaken, you must be Heiji Hattori, the son of the Osaka Prefectural Police Superintendent General," Hakuba Saguru said with a smile.

"I didn't use my father's connections in my investigation of this matter," Hattori Heizo asked with a dark face. "And who are you?"

“Hakuba Saguru, my classmate, is quite a famous high school detective in England,” Kaito Kuroba said, pointing at Hakuba Saguru. “By the way, his father is Superintendent General Hakuba of the Metropolitan Police Department.”

Upon hearing Hakuba Saguru's identity, Hattori snorted. He hadn't expected that this guy was just like him, a son of a high-ranking official in the Metropolitan Police Department, and also a famous high school detective. This made him want to have a showdown.

Even if Shinichi Kudo hadn't come, Hakuba Saguru would still be a formidable opponent.

"So, who are you? And why were you invited?" Hattori brought his face close to Kaito Kuroba's and asked with a smug look on his face. "You wouldn't happen to be that high school detective, Shinichi Kudo, would you?"

“Although he looks somewhat similar, he is not Shinichi Kudo. He is my high school classmate, Kaito Kuroba.” Hakuba Saguru said, looking at Kaito Kuroba behind him. “As for why he was invited here, I don’t know either. Kaito, if I remember correctly, I warned you yesterday that it was best not to get involved in this case.”

Chapter 74 Famous Detectives Gather Together